John f



J F NAGEL Car Coupling.

Patented May 18, 1869.

tinitrd gt taut JOHN F. NAGEL, OBLIGONI'ER, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 90,290, dated Mag 18, 1 869.

MROVED CAR-COUPLING.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thenine.

To all when it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OIELN F. NAGEL, of Ligonier, in the county ofWestmorelaud, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a clear and exact description thereof, sufficient to enable othersskilled in the art to which my invention appertains, to fully understandand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is averticallongitudinal section of the device illustrating my invention.

Figure 2 is a top or plan view of a detached portion thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twofigures.

The subject of my invention is a self-coupling for railroad-cars; and vv 7 It consists in a block or lever, which is pivoted to the draw-head,and has hinged to it an elevating-arm, which is connected to thecoupling-pin, so that when the shackle or link strikes the block orlever, the pin is raised, and remains raised until the link clears it,when it drops and holds the shackle, and the cars are thereby coupled.

Should the coupling-pin break, the elevating-arm will bear the link, andshould both break, the block or lever will then take their places, aswill be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings- A is a draw-head, and B, the coupling-pin, both ofwhich generally are of ordinary form and construction.

The opening through which the pin enters, and has its upper bearing, isreinforced by a boss, or projection a, and the lower hearing by across-bar, or enlargement l2,fs0 that there is less liability offracture or breakage of the draw-bar at these points.

0 is a block or lever, which is constructed of proper form, and is, bypreference, of a thickness equal to that of the coupling-pin. -Its upperend 0 is pivoted to the draw-head, and its lower end protrudes throughthe bottom of the\cross-head, at a point to the rear of the upper joint0, so that the lever extends diagonally towards the rear of thedraw-head, and. is capable of an upward and downward-swinging motion onits axis.

An arm, D, is hinged to the block or lever, at or near its lower end.This arm consists of a piece of metal of suitable size and form. Itextends vertically and through a slot in the upper end of the draw-head,where it is formed with an angular extension, d, having an opening,through which passes the couplingpin.

In the present case a ring, or loop e is hinged to the arm D, or itsextension, and is adapted to swing over the head of the coupling-pin,and rest on a shoulder, notch, flange, or equivalent device 1, formed onsaid pin.

In order that the draw-head shall not be of more than ordinary size, 1form a groove on the inner side of the top of the draw-head, so that thelever 0 may always be swung sufficiently high to elevate thecoupling-pin.

To prevent any accidental catching of the link on the arm D, I form thelever O of such dimensions, thatas it swings upward, it will graduallycome in close proximity with the coupling-pin, and thereby allow butlittle space between the two at the moment when the pin hascleared thelower end of lever O.

The operation is as follows:

When the link is in position on one draw-head, and the cars are backing, its free end strikes the lever O, and thus elevates the arm D, andwith it the'coup" ling-pin s'ufliciently high to allow said link toclear'the pin; then the latter drops, and the cars are coupled.

The operation of uncoupling is accomplished by hand, by merely raisingthe swinging ring, which now acts as a handle, and elevating the pin andarm, when the link has no obstruction, and is readily withdrawn from thedraw-head.

Should the pin break, the strain of the link is transferred to the armD, which is firmly held against the upper part of the draw-head and thelower part of the lever O, which in return is braced by the lever andupper parts of the draw-head; and should the arm also break, dependenceyet exists in the leverO, which will hold as readily as the coupling-pinor arm.

. The lever C may be suspended perpendicularly from its joint, but it isdesirable that it be diagonal, in order to act'with more readiness andease in admitting the link and elevating the coupling-pin.

The arm may be otherwise hinged to the couplingpin than by means of thering e, but the latter is preferable, from its practicabilityandsimplicity.

The internal face of the rear of the draw-head is rounded upwardly in aforward direction, as at q. The object of this is to prevent strain orsudden .jerks to the coupling-link during the vertical rocking andjumping-motions of the train when the cars come closely together.

The end of the link bears against this rounded portiod, and the frictionproduced thereby, causes the link to gradually overcome the shock.

Without the rounded part, the link would suddenly strike the top orbottom of the draw-head, and be liable to fracture thereby.

' The link should be made sufficiently large, that when cars cometogether, it will lie perfectly horizontal on the bottom of thedraw-head, and thus be guided in its play during the varying distancesbetween the cars.

My invention is simple and practical, and the construction of the partsmay be modified, so long as the operation remains the same.

I do not claim an inclined lever supporting a pin, and hinged thereto;.but 3 What. I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The levers" O D, constructed and pivoted as deeribed, the latter beingbent, and provided with a hole, forthe passage of the pin, and a ring toretain the pin, in combination with the flange-headed pin, and operatedby the link, as and for the purpose set orth.

To the above specification, I have signed my name, this 1st day ofMarch, 1869.

JOHN F. NAGEL.

' Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, H. '1. METZGAR;

